Psychological and social studies both show that people feel depression and anxiety when they do not believe they are the locus of control in their life.

Did you catch that? A belief alters mood, brain chemistry, thinking ability, effectiveness, and even health.

Just because it’s a belief doesn’t mean it’s easy to change. Beliefs are formed not only by rational reflection, but by willful practice. I don’t mean the “What About Bob” kind of repeating a desired belief to yourself over and over. I mean by taking actions in accordance with those desired beliefs until you begin to change. We assume that we only act based on our beliefs, but it is also true that we believe based on our actions.

Back to depression. If you’ve ever felt it, the chances are very good that at the root is a belief that you don’t have a lot of control over your life. The more external you believe your locus of control to be, the more despair. How to combat this? How to gain the genuine belief in your own ability to direct your life? Act.

Start doing things. It’s always amazed me how much it helps. I’ve had many days where I felt helpless, down, in despair over something important that was out of my hands. I was waiting for a response to a big email or call. I was waiting for a colleague. I had done my part and the rest was up to the universe. Whether or not that was true, it always turns out that accepting it as such made me have a terrible day, week, or even month. Instead, I start doing things, taking action to increase the likelihood of success, actively pursuing plans B, C, and D, even if unlikely, digging deeper and getting more creative about other things I can do, even as I awaited others.

As an entrepreneur, you are bound to feel helpless at times, especially in regards to capital. Don’t believe it. If your mentality is one of helplessness until and unless you get that big investor, you probably won’t succeed and you’ll probably be depressed. There is always more you can do without anyone’s permission. Always. And when you start taking action, you’ll feel a hell of a lot better.

Sometimes it’s worth it to do something you can control even if it’s unrelated to the “big” thing. My old boss would get stressed while awaiting replies from important board members on important stuff. Rather than letting it eat her alive, she’d immediately find the most important documents or materials she could and start editing the daylights out of it. She was a great editor, and it was an activity in which she was in total control and could knowingly create value without waiting for permission from others. It wasn’t always her highest value activity, but it was probably her best way to stay positive and energized.

Entrepreneur or not, you’ve probably experienced this yourself. Contrary to popular jokes about how awful Mondays are, for most of us they’re actually pretty amazing. The real bitch is Sunday evening. During the weekend we become less and less attuned to our various projects and responsibilities, but we know they still exist. They become more myth than reality, and thus their power to stress us out grows. By the time you sit at your desk Monday morning, you’re probably a little avoidant and worried about what lies before you. But then something amazing happens. By simply going through your emails, looking over the week’s schedule in detail, and handling a few smaller tasks, you feel in control and confident. Rather than simply knowing challenges existed and feeling them suck the life from you all weekend, you now know exactly what they are and what it will take to tackle them, and you’ve started making lists and taking actions towards completion. Your belief in your ability to handle them is monumentally stronger than it was over the weekend.

This is one of the reasons I like working a little on vacations, holidays, and weekends. Not because I live such a stressful life, but as an active choice: a way to reduce stress. When I know what I have to do and am taking even small actions every day, I feel more in control and thus more empowered and happy.

If you feel depression or despair, ask yourself what you believe about the locus of control in the situation. If it’s not with you, find actions you can take to reinforce your belief in your ability to control your life.

Read Take Back Your Power and Start Loving Your Life

Read Getting Out of a Bad Place

Watch Emotional Resiliency & Mental Toughness

Watch Cultivating Resilience | Greg Eells | TEDxCortland

• Make a list of your 5 greatest problems or creative challenges. What are the things that keep you from feeling free to live the life you most deeply want? Who or what are the causes behind those problems? What can you learn or do that will help you overcome them?

1. Do you see most of your problems as being the result of what someone else is doing to you? Why or why not?
2. What’s the value of focusing on the things you can change?
3. What’s the difference between taking responsibility for your life and blaming yourself for your problems?
4. What are some practical things you can do when you’re faced with what seems to be an unresolvable problem?